Educational Sessions

Friday, October 23, 2015, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM

An Outdoor Classroom Case Study from Al Ghadeer Kindergarten

Linda Lemasters, Education Facilities Clearinghouse
G. Victor Hellman, Education Facilities Clearinghouse
Travis Dunlap, Education Facilities Clearinghouse

Spinnaker 1-2

In 2012 an American kindergarten teacher, Krystyn Brown, championed the development of an outdoor classroom at her school in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. Outdoor classrooms are largely unconventional learning environments in this region of Abu Dhabi and in many non-Western contexts. However, after Ms. Brown’s proposal inspired a local sheikh, Al Ghadeer Kindergarten was granted funding to develop a customized outdoor learning space. After overcoming initial resistance, the facility’s addition of an outdoor classroom has come to serve this community of young learners, their families, the school employees, and many community members of Al Ain. The Education Facilities Clearinghouse (EFC) is studying this uncommon example of an outdoor learning space. Al Ghadeer Kindergarten developed an outdoor classroom in a desert context, with particular geographic and climate considerations. This case study holds implications for the design and management of outdoor classrooms in the USA as well. The EFC’s case study of Al Ghadeer’s project will review the development of their outdoor classroom from its beginnings to its current state of operation, and we will identify best practices that other schools may adopt this effective outdoor classroom model.

Learning Objectives:

Understand the social, psychological, and physical benefits for students involved in outdoor learning.
Identify challenges to the design and construction of outdoor classrooms.
Recognize best practices in effective outdoor classroom design and management.
Develop new ideas for outdoor classroom designs and improvements.

1 HSW

1 CE

Free-Range Elementary Education (F.R.E.E.). A Collaborative Approach to Design

Jeff Cacek, Principal, North Park Elementary
John Comazzi, Associate Professor of Architecture, College of Design, University of Minnesota
Dan Deveau, Masters of Architecture Candidate, University of Minnesota
Judith Hoskens, REFP, LEED AP, Cunningham Group Architecture

Marina 3

Getting the basics [of education] right is not just about literacy and numeracy – it also means putting the right facilities in place so that teachers can teach and children can learn.” (2001, David Blunkett, the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Education and Employment) The University of Minnesota is one of the nation’s leading research institutions and one of few public Land Grant Universities in a major metropolitan region. Within this context, the School of Architecture (SOA) is uniquely positioned to engage with communities, practitioners, and industry throughout the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota. Beginning in the Spring of 2014, faculty and students at the University of Minnesota partnered with Cuningham Group Architecture, Columbia Heights Public Schools, and the College of Education on a multi-year research project to document, analyze, and assess three retrofitted open learning studios (2nd, 3rd and 4th grade) designed by Cuningham Group for North Park Elementary School, in Fridley, MN (2011-2014). The aim of the research, analysis, and documentation currently being conducted is to assess the impact of specific design elements on the effectiveness of teaching and learning in support of North Park Elementary’s goal of fostering 21st-century skills for communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. In turn, this research will also contribute to the architecture profession by providing a rigorous, in-depth, and longitudinal case study analysis that will highlight innovative approaches to collaborative design for the creation of active learning environments in conjunction with specific models of education. These three, unique learning studios were designed through a collaborative charrette process involving school teachers and administrators and resulted in the merging of several traditional classrooms into larger, more open spaces of which the result has been a complete transformation of the school’s approach to teaching that privileges active, student-initiated, and self-directed learning. The research being conducted discusses six categories (Groups, Movement, Surfaces, Curriculum, Layout and Time) that have been found to play a significant role in leveraging architecture’s capacity to affect case specific learning objectives set forth by the educational professionals at North Park Elementary. The authors also show how the rapid prototype process of designing each learning studio over a four year period helped to better link pedagogical goals at North Park to design strategies, while also providing an in depth methodology to be used with future clients in education. The following is a summary of research questions that are guiding the project:

What design elements and arrangements most positively and/or negatively impact effectiveness in teaching and learning within a “learning studio”?
How do teachers integrate their curricular programming with design elements and spatial arrangements?
What information and input should designers solicit from teachers during the design process?
How do teachers and students interact within a learning studio and utilize the flexible environment to advance their teaching and learning objectives?
What resources are necessary for maintaining successful teaching and learning in an open learning studio?

The CEFPI Annual Conference offers a unique opportunity to actively engage participants in a lively discourse, building their capacity to conduct similar workshops and implement similar conversations. Furthermore, this presentation will provide a summary of the data, analysis, and metrics used to assess the impact (both positive and negative) that the new learning studios have had on the effectiveness of teaching and learning at North Park Elementary.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to more effectively conduct Community conversations around 21st Century Learning creating a culture of transparency and TRUST no matter the size of the group.
At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to apply 21st Century Learning principles within existing facilities, economically and with confidence to be able to do it NOW.
At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to develop the skillsets to be able to design in real time with large community groups.
At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to increase their confidence to back up the correlation between space and learning with current, comprehensive research.

1 LU

1 CE

Harvesting the Tree of Knowledge – Nurturing the Seeds of Collaboration

Julie Williams, Ocean View School District
Lynn Carmen Day, Riverside Unified School District
Andrew Sterner, Corona-Norco Unified Schools District

Executive 2A-2B

Outside Out involves thinking outside the norm, cultivating seeds of collaboration from three critical district area stakeholders, and harvesting ideas that produce stimulating and long lasting results for student and learning community successes. Common Core is impacting decision making related to Capital Improvements in School Districts across the United States and identifies best practices, thus far. As spaces become designed to integrate both technological enhancements, blend traditional learning environments with these technological components, as well as support other improvements related to enhancing learning environments to best support curriculum changes, it is imperative to develop a plan that encompasses a complete understanding of the full life cycle of the capital investment and how it will affect the various School District stakeholders. Taking learning outdoors, this workshop is designed to utilize props that represent planning, design, construction, and instructional elements that directly impact educational facilities. The saying that there is no such thing as a simple chnage will be heightened during this workshop. The audience will “pick” from the trees of knowledge and experiences that directly relate to the three distinct areas affecting change – Instruction, Facilities, and M&O. Nearly 85% of all K-12 school construction nationally is vested in renovation and modernization projects. Prudent educational facilities planning and fiscal management are key as available capital funds are limited. Achieving the vision of a totally integrated school both in terms of instruction and facilities, requires the insight of both capital planning and instructional delivery. Improvements to support enhanced curriculum becomes a paramount step in achieving the vision. This workshop aims to provide the how and why changes impact each process and build upon new ideas and best practices allowing participants the opportunity to experience these outcomes in order to go from defining the vision to maintaining the new 21st century learning environments, and includes input from School District Leaders.

Learning Objectives:

Think creatively and develop new ideas focused on expanding the conversation and planning of educational faciities by including all three divisions at the beginning of a project and beyond
Learn about best practices from three critical areas affecting educatrional outcomes and school faciltities
Audience members through participation can build upon and expand on current knowledge / skills
Audience members will acquire new knowledge and/or skills from one another and the presenters

1 LU

1 CE

Nature + Creativity: The Power of Play in Creating Innovative Thinkers

Kari Kikuta, ASLA, LPA, Inc.
Kimberly Coffeen, CEFP, LEED BD+C, Irvine Unified School District
Emily Koch, LPA, Inc.

Nautilus 3

Many schools today have playgrounds that lack the inspiring sense of wonder and discovery that is found in nature. In this session we will explore how outdoor educational spaces can accomplish more than just recess or physical education. From outdoor classrooms, growing gardens, water gardens, archaeological “digs”, spaces for quiet reflection and stimulating play equipment, learn how utilizing the outdoors as an extension of the learning space benefits the whole child and improves teachers’ satisfaction too. We will cover research-based design strategies that have been implemented at all levels of K-12 education – showing that a sense of play, wonder, and discovery is essential and restorative for all ages. An in-depth case-study of Irvine Unified School district’s latest elementary school will share how the importance of outdoor learning spaces first identified in their comprehensive long-range facilities master plan caused a shift in the design of their prototypical elementary school.

Learning Objectives:

Recognize the restorative impact experiencing nature has on all of our minds, reducing stress, lowering blood pressure, and enhancing creative thinking.
Discover how outdoor spaces can be efficiently utilized on a school campus using a case-study of a space-challenged elementary school site.
Identify how the creative use of outdoor space can foster an appreciation for discovery and encourage physical activity and intellectual curiosity.
Realize how a connection to the natural environment can create educational connections to community and earth – cultivating healthy habits for whole child and whole earth education.

1 HSW

1 CE

Finding Our Way Back to the Future; a Renaissance of Holistic Approach to Education

Terry White, UK Learning & Nova CoDesign

Seabreeze

There can be no disagreement on the skills and personal qualities that our young people need to become confident citizens for the 21st Century. Learning to learn and developing key skills however can still be a passive, second class experience in a world where teacher content is king and where students are seen as recipients of a given set of information, rather than partners in their learning and co-educators in their schools. In this session Terry will explore through his personal experience of the UK and International schools the way in which many organisations are recognising the need to return to the fundamentals of an evidence-based learning system. A system that starts with valuing the learner and places them at the centre of the system and supports them in all aspects of their personal, social and learning needs. The session will illustrate the different organisational models for schools and the resulting liberating designs of learning environments and facilities that will unleash learning for everyone in the organisation.

Learning Objectives:

To demonstrate the importance of placing students at the centre of a process for future learning
To draw on evidence-based research to support the development of such an approach
To examine organisational models of learning that have been translated into effective school design to support this process
To explore good practice internationally of partnership working with all design professionals to create appropriate new facilities